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ESPÉ or a French university?
The answer depends on your plan. If you are aiming for a psychologist post in a French public hospital, the university route remains the one to take, because it alone grants the title. If you are aiming for private practice, business, the non-profit sector or humanitarian work, the question becomes one of framework, hours of practice and cost. Here are the facts, unarranged.
The comparison, criterion by criterion
| Criterion | ESPÉ | University |
|---|---|---|
| Selection | Application file then an interview with a panel including at least one psychologist, outside Parcoursup and Mon Master | Parcoursup for the licence, Mon Master for the master; selection on file, often without an interview |
| Group size | Small cohorts; every student is known by name to their teachers | Lecture halls of several hundred students in the licence, smaller groups at master level |
| Annual cost | €9,000 for the Bachelor, €9,000 per MSc year, €11,000 for the International Bachelor | National registration fees of a few hundred euros, waived for state scholarship holders |
| Scholarships | Internal merit awards, need-based awards of up to 50% of tuition, and international awards | Crous need-based grants, which do not apply in a school without state recognition |
| Hours of practice | 2,600 hours of professional experience over five years, roughly five times the university minimum | Shorter compulsory placements, varying from one university to another |
| Who teaches | Practising psychologists and academics who have kept a clinical practice | Academics, lecturers and visiting practitioners, depending on the programme |
| Title of psychologist | Not available today: our degrees are institutional degrees | Available after a full five-year state-validated programme |
| State recognition | One state-recognised degree: the EBS Paris Master Grande École earned through the human resources double degree, master grade, RNCP 42264 | National licence and master degrees, recognised as of right |
| International | Ten partner universities, a semester or a year abroad, an International Bachelor across three countries | European exchange programmes, varying from one university to another |
| Careers support | A careers service included in tuition and available for life | Guidance and employability services, sized for large student numbers |
What the university does better
- It grants access to the title of psychologist, which our degrees do not.
- It costs a few hundred euros a year, and nothing for scholarship holders.
- It opens civil service posts: hospitals, state education, judicial youth protection.
- It offers research laboratories and established doctoral pathways.
What we do differently
- Cohorts where everyone is known, and one academic adviser per programme.
- 2,600 hours of supervised professional experience over five years.
- An in-house training centre, where students see clients under supervision.
- An admission process that assesses the person as much as the file, in an interview.
- A careers service included in tuition and available for life.
The point not to skirt around. ESPÉ degrees do not grant the protected French title of psychologue, which French law of 25 July 1985 reserves to graduates of a five-year state-approved university programme or of the École de Psychologues Praticiens. The school already awards one state-recognised degree: thanks to the partnership with EBS Paris, the double degree in Psychology and Human Resource Management confers the EBS Paris Master Grande École, recognised at master's level and listed in the French national register of professional certifications under RNCP 42264, which opens the way to doctoral study. For its other degrees the school is running the recognition process by the book: registration in the national register is targeted for 2028 and recognition of the degrees for 2029 / 2030. Those dates are the school's objectives, not guarantees: the decision rests with the French authorities.
Frequently asked questions
Is an ESPÉ degree worth a French licence or master?
No, they are two different things. The licence and the master are national degrees, recognised as of right. ESPÉ degrees are institutional degrees, built to the ECTS standard, which make further study easier without ever guaranteeing it. Only the EBS Paris Master Grande École, earned through the human resources double degree, is recognised by the French state.
Can you become a psychologist by studying at ESPÉ?
Not today. The title of psychologist requires five years validated by the state, at a university or at the École de Psychologues Praticiens. The school has begun the recognition process, which will take several years. If your goal is to work in a public hospital or in the civil service, the university route remains the one to take.
Then why choose a private school?
For the framework and the volume of practice. Small cohorts, individual support, 2,600 hours of professional experience and teachers who practise. That choice makes sense for a project aimed at private practice, business, the non-profit sector or humanitarian work. It makes less sense for a career centred on public hospitals.
Can you move from university to ESPÉ, and the other way round?
Yes, in both directions.
From university to ESPÉ: with one or two validated years of a psychology degree, you can join the second or third year of the Bachelor. With a bachelor's degree in psychology, you can apply to our Master of Science programmes.
From ESPÉ to university: the ECTS-equivalent credits of our degrees make further study easier. Each university decides on its own admissions.
How do you compare the costs honestly?
A licence at a French university costs a few hundred euros a year; a year at ESPÉ costs €9,000, or €4,500 for a student receiving the maximum need-based award. Housing and living costs are the same either way. The calculation should be made over five years, taking scholarships and the possible apprenticeship in human resources into account.